


Push & Pull

by rubbished



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Depression, Other, Pacifist Route, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sans Remembers Resets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 07:19:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6972553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubbished/pseuds/rubbished
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"After so much pushing and pulling, something's gotta give." </p><p>After experiencing reset after reset of murder and heartache, Sans is about ready to give up the last shreds of hope he has. But perhaps this next one holds something entirely new for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Push & Pull

He woke up again in the coldest of sweats, clutching at a heart that was not technically there. Blue flames licked and danced along the left hollow eye socket, illuminating through the darkness of the room. They eventually died down as he steadied his breaths. 

The dreams have gotten worse, tormenting his sleep with a new fervor. The piercing shrieks rattle inside his skull, and the air becomes so thick with the dust of other monsters that his nonexistent lungs restrict. Seeing so much carnage and suffering, he would have thrown up then and there, if he had the stomach for it. And even though he was fully awake, the kid’s maniacal laughter continued to echo throughout the room. 

Sans sat up in his bed, groaning at the dull ache thumping behind his temples. He shifted and accidentally knocked one out of the collection of empty whiskey bottles that had piled up in his bedroom. The sound of the heavy bottle hitting the floor sent another wave of head-splitting pain through San’s skull, and he swore loudly. 

In defeat the skeleton plopped back down onto the bed, swallowing down the heavy lump forming in his throat. Everything hurt. His face felt brittle and salted from crying previously- most likely during his night terrors. The after-effects of drinking surely didn’t help his state, and with a remorseful look at his acquired collection of empty bottles, Sans mentally kicked himself for ever thinking drinking yourself under the table was a good idea. Even Grillby had been worried as he downed glass after glass of a ketchup-and-whiskey concoction last night, cutting him off and suggesting he get home to rest. Sans eventually agreed, but only after he had already gotten shit-faced, and had taken the bottle from under the bar. Things weren’t any better as Sans stumbled into the front door of his home, Papyrus fussed over his brother in genuine concern as the latter could hardly make it up the stairs to his room by himself. Sans was tucked in his bed by the taller skeleton like a small child, but sleep provided no sanctum for him as the nightmares came out to play. 

How long had it been since the dreams began? Even considering trying to count how long seemed absurd to Sans. What was the point anymore to? He’d just be counting forever. 

Today would be the beginning of another reset for another timeline. The kid would fall down from wherever they came and determine the fate of the Underground once again. The last few times unfortunately had been a bust, the kid seemed to have enjoyed swinging around their toy knife recently. Each time ended the same, Sans continuously killing the kid in an endless loop, the kid continuing to reset to fight again, until eventually, the kid would stop resetting all together. Then after Sans would make his way to Grillby’s and drink himself into a stupor until dawn, only to start over again that very day. 

Not all timelines ended with the kid dying, in some Sans actually befriended them, in others he would watch them from afar, what they all had in common was that they were never consistent and were never permanent. No happy ending was an ending, and fortunately no bad ending was an ending. But that was the problem there was no ending. Time would continue to fold in on itself then unravel again, and before he knew it, Sans was beginning to do the same. 

There was a soft knock on the door, followed by a booming call. “SANS, ARE YOU AWAKE?”

Sans winced at his brother’s naturally loud voice and rubbed his skull. “yeah, bro. i’m up.” 

The door slowly creaks open, and the light pouring in from the hallway sears through San’s eye sockets. He quickly shields himself from the intrusive light with his blanket, and Papyrus pokes his head into a room with a worried expression etched into his bony features. 

“BROTHER, IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?” He tried to be a little quieter, walking over and sitting down at the foot of San’s bed. From under the blanket, Sans replied with a weak and muffled “i’m ok”, so Papyrus continued on. “I AM WORRIED ABOUT YOU, SANS. YOU CAME HOME AT DAWN HARDLY ABLE TO HOLD YOURSELF UP. WILL YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT’S WRONG.”

Sans wanted to tell his brother everything, about the timelines, the ability to reset, the kid. But he knew that even if he did, Papyrus wouldn’t understand. It wouldn’t matter in the long run anyways, once the kid decides it’s time for another reset, he won’t remember. 

He sighed, clutching the edges of his soiled jacket tightly. “i-it’s nothing, pap. i was just feeling a little… bonely.”  His pun came off forced and flat. Papyrus didn’t even groan at it. 

“WELL, ALRIGHT.” Papyrus got up from his spot on the bed and made his way towards the door. “BUT YOU SHOULDN’T DRINK SO MUCH. IT’S NOT GOOD FOR YOU. I’M GOING OUT TO TEND TO THE PUZZLES. DON’T BE A LAZY BONES AND STAY IN BED ALL DAY.”

“heh. sure thing, pap.” Sans exhaled in relief as Papyrus shut the door quietly behind him. He waited for the commotion of Papyrus getting ready downstairs to cease, and only got up when there was the sound of the front door opening and shutting. The skeleton shuffled his feet into his favorite ratty slippers and stretched his arms over his head, relishing in the pops and cracks that rattle through his bones. His head still fucking hurt, but he would have to put up with it for the time being. Sans had a job to do. 

—

Sans waited for them on the outskirts of Snowidn Forest among the pine and brush, dread stewing in the pit of his soul. The anticipation of another reset filled with murder and suffering loomed over him.  The first test didn’t really discriminate between which timeline it would be, it was more for Sans to get a feel of which version of the kid they would be dealing with this time. At this point they had just slunk their ways out of the ruins, either already ahead of the game and made their first few kills, or haven’t even harmed a fly. He just had to be patient. And the skeleton had all the patience in the world.

As if on cue, the human appeared from out of the Ruins. Their little boots crunched noisily in the snow. They looked the same as they did in every timeline, a chestnut brown bowl cut fringing their round face, their striped sweater a little too big for their tiny frame. From the cold, their cheeks were flushed a rosy cherub pink, button nose tinted in the same hue. If Sans hadn’t known any better, he would have found the child cute, endearing even. However, he did know better, and the skeleton had learned to never judge a book by it’s innocent cover. 

The human’s breath clouded the frigid air, small hands going up to hold themselves in an attempt to further shield the cold. At the smallest of sounds, most of them coming from themselves, the child would flinch and look around wildly. No doubt about it, the child was scared in this run-through. This comforted Sans, but only a little bit. 

Sans took a step forward, ignoring the throbbing ache in his skull from his hangover. Rehearsed and almost robotically, he pressed his foot down on a massive branch lying on the forest floor. The branch snapped loudly, and at the sound the human screamed, twirling frantically in a circle in search for the perpetrator. Mid-spin their food caught on a patch of ice, and then pinwheeled backwards into the snow on their little bottom. With a distressed whine, the child tried to pull themselves out of the mound snow. They whimpered pitifully as their efforts were futile, and they were shivering more than before. Slightly surprised, the skeleton couldn’t help but chuckle at the other’s struggling. Welp, that sure is a new one. 

They finally managed to wiggle their out of the trap, brushing snow off their shorts with a disgruntled pout. More annoyed at the whole situation now rather than afraid, the human charged on, and Sans decided to make his move. 

He teleported out of the brush and slowly approached the human from behind. Once their little boots began to cross the wooden bridge leading further into Snowdin Forest, Sans took his hands out of his pockets and flicked his wrist lazily. The human froze, caught like an insect in the clutches of a Venus flytrap. The child gasped aloud at their sudden lack of mobility, and they began to panic. Small fleshy hands trembled with anticipation, and their breath came out in hyperventilated gasps, fogging the air in front of them. Sans readied the whoopee cushion, the feeling of flabby rubber another sad reminder of how monotonous everything had become. 

“human. don’t you know how to great a new pal?” The question sounded like one from a script that had been rehearsed thousands of times over. “turn around and shake my hand.” 

The magical restraints loosened a bit, only enough to allow the human to turn a fraction and face the skeleton. With quivering shoulders the human slowly turned, holding out a trembling hand to shake. Their eyes were squeezed shut, as if they couldn’t see the latter, they wouldn’t hurt them. Sans did the same, whoopee cushion in place and ready to go. Their hands met for a firm shake, and the rubbery sound of flatulence from the whoopee cushion echoed loudly through the dense forest. The child jumped a little at the sound, definitely not expecting the feeling of a rubber bag or the loud fart sounds. As the cushion slowly deflated into sad, wheezing sounds Sans pulled away his hand with a goofy smile, holding the covered hand up like a badge. 

“heheh… the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick.” That perpetual grin became wider on the skeleton’s face, and much more artificial. “it’s always funny.” 

Sans went to continue the rest of his spiel, continuing with formalities and whatnot. However, he was interjected by the soft sound of giggles coming from the human. He paused with a raised brow-bone, watching as the child broke into a full on fit of chortles. They clutched their stomach, head throw back, and tiny tears dewing at the corner of their eyes. Childish laughter filled the forest more than the inappropriate sounds of the whoopee cushion, and Sans was more than taken aback. He was absolutely floored. 

Their laughter died down after a moment, and with a soft sigh in content from a good laugh, they looked to the latter with a big smile. 

“Oh man, that was a good one! You really got me, I was so scared!” The human beamed, and Sans noticed that one of their front baby teeth was missing. This was another surprise to the skeleton, he had never really seen the human smile before. 

He wasn’t too sure how to react, needless to say this was definitely a “new one”. “uh, heh heh, yeah. i’m sans. sans the skeleto-”

“A skeleton monster!” The child interjected again, seeming to trust the latter enough to not be afraid anymore. “That is so cool! I mean, sure I was expecting a lot of monsters around here. More frogs, maybe another goat, but a skeleton? That’s awesome! How do you keep your bones together? Do you eat? If you can, then where does it go?” They were talking a mile a minute, practically bouncing on the heels of their feet in excitement. 

Needless to say, Sans was a bit unnerved. He had never experience a time where the child was so bright and animated. It was as if every bit of hate and corruption had been sucked away from their soul completely. The skeleton, however remained apprehensive. He was far from being foolish enough to buy in just yet, not without concrete evidence that this child wouldn’t try any funny business later in the future. 

The child noticed the suspicious expression marring the skeleton’s features, however, they perceived it for discomfort. “Oh! Sorry, sometimes the words come flying out of my mouth and I can’t stop it.” With a sheepish chuckle, they kicked their boot along a tiny shelf of snow below them. “Anyways, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Sans the Skeleton, I’m Frisk!” 

“eh, stick with sans, kid. the mister makes me sound older than i am.” Sans wadded up the whoopee cushion and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “anyways, you’re a human, right? that’s hilarious.” 

Frisk nodded, a bright smile splitting their rosy cheeks. “Yup! I guess you guys don’t see too many humans down here, huh?”

“well they ain’t too much of a normal occurrence around here. i’m actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now.” 

As he spoke, his recited lines suddenly felt wrong, alien and out of place. Perhaps it was how different this timeline was turning out to be. The unpredictability managed to shake him right in his soul. Each and every word, articulated and as monotonous as could be, felt different to him now. It was a kind of different that scared Sans, which inadvertently made him fear the human before him. 

He struggled to choke out the rest of his words, brow bones pulled a bit in the effort. “but… y’know… i don’t really care about capturing anybody.” 

Frisk smile fell into an adorable frown, their little features screwing up their rosy, freckled face. It wasn’t an expression of worry, more one of puzzlement, slightly perplexed. “There are people trying to catch me?” 

“well, a few.” Sans shrugged a bit, there was no point in lying to child, for they would find out soon enough about how they were the talk of the town, whether it were through the hopeful murmurs of liberation to the Surface, or the terrified, hushed whispers of fear for their own lives. Just like always. “my brother, papyrus. he’s a human-hunting fanatic.” 

Right at the mention of his brother, vivid, panoramic images flashed painfully behind the white pupils of his eye sockets. Each rolling picture only lasted for a moment, flickering sporadicly in Sans’ cranium. Although the images only lasted for brief seconds, Sans could still make out the wavering figures through the kaleidoscope of flashbacks. They depicted Papyrus, cowering under the foot of the child, whispering words of encouragement to ears that didn’t deserve them. The latter themselves had a sick, twisted grin contorting their flushed face. One boot came up, resting right on Papyrus forehead and slowly pressing down. 

Their smile pulled tighter as they pressed harder, the distinct cracking of bone like a sweet symphony to their ears. Even as Papyrus cried out in pain, the child never relented on the pressure, only satisfied once the skeleton’s skull completely shattered underfoot like glass. Fragments touched the winter air, and quickly dissolved into thick dust, sprinkling the pale white snow. 

Their demented laughter rang clear, piercing through Sans’ skull like a hot iron. It was nothing like the pure, innocent mirth of Frisk’s laughter. It was maniacal, and satisfied. So satisfied over the dust that caked their hands, the power, the zest, of forcibly taking the life of another. It made the skeleton sick to his hypothetical stomach. 

As Sans gripped his skull in agony, Frisk rushed to his side, little brows furrowed in concern. “Sans? Are you okay?” They hesitantly reached towards the latter, worried that they might hurt him further. 

Sans immediately recoiled away from the human, as if their touch would scald him. Memories overlaid and melded into one another, obscuring the world before him and the new world forming in his head. He felt as if he were underwater, those images slowly contorting and bending. As Frisk neared him, expression filled with worry, it twisted away and into the wicked grin of the child that loved hearing the crunch of bones under their boot and the feeling of dust caking up under their fingernails. Sweat ran cold down Sans’ skull, and if he had a heart, he’d be sure it’d be bursting at the seams by now. 

Frisk immediately jumped back. Their hands went up in mock-surrender, their found features holding a stricken expression. Everything had come so sudden, and the human couldn’t help but feel responsible for the state of the skeleton, especially with how he reacted whenever they came near. They slowly retreated backwards in worry their presence might trigger him again, but didn’t want to be too far away in case something happens. Chalk it up to the compassionate nature the child held in their heart, the genuine concern they felt for this complete stranger. 

Eye sockets screwed tight and managing to steady his erratic breath, the barrage of horrid images finally stopping. His senses were finally starting to come back, and the episode left nothing behind besides the remains of his hangover-induced headache. Reality came back with each deep breath, and his swimming vision finally focused back to the real world. The human was still in front of him, worry and hurt etched on their face. Surprisingly, Sans couldn’t help but feel bad for snapping at them, after all he had seen through his lifetime, Frisk was still undoubtedly a kid. 

His hands dropped from his aching skull, and he offered a weak smile of reassurance to Frisk. 

“s-sorry kiddo. i, uh… i had a pretty rough night, tibia honest. it wasn’t you. just got a bit of a headache.” 

Frisk seemed to nod in understanding, smiling shyly at his lame bone pun. They were still a little worried that they had done something wrong to set the skeleton off, but there was something else that had interested them instead. 

“I didn’t know skeletons could get headaches.” Frisk mused as they tilted their head to the side. The gesture reminded Sans of the canines he worked with in the Sentry stations, and how they would tilt their heads to listen as he talked to them. The thought was pretty hilarious to Sans, but he was still shaken up from everything he had seen. Those images were one straight out of his worst nightmares, the ones that would startle him awake in a cold sweat. 

Sans forced out a laugh. “heh, didn’t think so either, huh? there ain’t too much in here to be hurtin’.” He plastered on a smile and tapped on his cranium gently, sending the human into a fit of giggles. 

It was silly to the human to think skeletons could get headaches, but it sure did create a great conversation topic. Frisk mentally pocketed the fact for later, perhaps for when they manage to find a way back home. 

That reminded them, they had somewhere to be. “Hey, do you know a way to get out of here? You know,” Frisk pointed upwards, towards the rocky sky. “to the Surface? I’m trying to get home.” 

The stocky skeleton opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by what sounded like someone stomping their way through the snow. Mentally swearing, Sans already knew that it was Papyrus coming to check on him at his station. 

Shit, how could he have let so much time go? He was supposed to explain more to the human. And now? Everything was thrown off schedule, right off the rails. Every line that had been rehearsed and repeated over and over again suddenly seemed so insignificant now. As the footsteps got closer, Sans knew he had to jump right back into routine, before things got too unpredictable. “uh, speakin’ of human huntin’ fanatics, i think that’s him over there.” 

“What? Where?” Frisk snapped their head around in panic. From what the skeleton had told them, this “human huntin’ fanatic” was someone they, a human, did not want to encounter. The child looked to Sans in fear, hoping they would help them even if the hunter was their supposed brother. 

“i have an idea, go through this gate thingy.” Sans prompted the human further when they gave him a perplexed look. “yeah, go right through. my bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone.” 

Although scared out of their mind, they decided to take the risk of trusting the skeleton. There was no other available option anyways. With a quick nod they rushed across the bridge, Sans right on their tail. With a few steps the duo reached a small clearing in the thicket of forest, a lonely sentry station sat unattended, most likely the post Sans was supposed to be occupying. Frisk wondered if they could hide in the station, however, that notion was quickly flung out the window when the sound of footsteps of the hunter grew louder. 

“quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp.” A bony phalange pointed to the home decoration that strangely resembled the silhouette of the human. If there hadn’t been someone after the child, they would have questioned the odd furniture. However, there was no time to wonder. Frisk hurriedly hid behind the conveniently-shaped lamp, hand clamped over their mouth in an attempt to stifle their ragged breathing. They prayed the human hunter couldn’t smell fear, because Frisk reeked of it. 

Once they were secured in their hiding spot, Sans turned back with hands in pockets to greet his skeleton brother as he came marching in. “sup, bro?” 

“BROTHER,” Papyrus exclaimed, seemingly happy to find the latter out and about. “IT IS GOOD TO FINALLY SEE YOU AT YOUR POST. I WAS WORRIED.” 

Sans shrugged. “heh, yeah. i thought it was about time for these lazy bones to get outta bed.” 

The taller skeleton nodded in approval a bit, but then was straight back to business. “WELL NOW THAT YOU HAVE SEEMED TO RECOVER, DO NOT FORGET TO RECALIBRATE YOUR PUZZLES! IT HAS BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU’VE JUST BEEN HANGING OUTSIDE AROUND YOUR STATION.” 

The script had flipped a bit, however that was expected. Sans was prepared a ready to throw the tides back on track. “sorry, bro, i’ve just been starin’ at this lamp.” He gestured to the human-shaped decor casually. “it’s really cool. do you wan-“ 

“SANS,” Papyrus interjected, his expression was suddenly solemn and sympathetic. He crossed the distance between him and the latter, completely passing up the lamp concealing the human stowaway. When he got close he knelt down to Sans’ short stature, and placed a gentle hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I MEANT IT WHEN I SAID I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU. PLEASE, IF THERE IS ANYTHING BOTHERING YOU, YOU WILL TELL ME, RIGHT BROTHER?” 

If a tangible, beating heart were to be present in Sans’ body, it would have swelled with guilt for his brother’s genuine concern. He knew it was unfair to leave Papyrus in the dark, to come home drunk off his ass without so much as an explanation as to why. Of course Papyrus would be worried sick about him. The guilt was enough to make Sans never want to touch the bottle ever again. However he knew he couldn’t do that. Alcohol was his personal escape, a numbing agent to quell the burdensome pain he felt. It felt as if his body had crumbled away, leaving a gaping hole in his sternum. A pining ache that never seemed to go away, almost like the nursing of a broken heart. Only much worse. At least when he was intoxicated, he didn’t have to feel that unbearable pain as he stumbled home and into his bed, at least for that moment, he could be free. 

“of course i will, pap. but i’m alright, really. fit as a fiddle.” 

Papyrus didn’t seem too convinced at first, however their expression quickly brightened not even a moment after. He trusted his elder brother, and knew that if Sans ever had something bothering him, he would come to him. At least, that’s what he hoped. “WELL, ALRIGHT. DO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, BROTHER. AND DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR PUZZLES!” 

“heh, right. so uh,” Sans cleared his throat a bit, in hopes that he could steer things away from anymore distraction. “do you still wanna look at this cool lamp?” 

“NO!” Papyrus stomped his foot into the snow, almost childishly. “I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE? I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN! THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT, RECOGNITION… I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO BE, MY ‘FRIEND!’” 

Frisk watched from afar as the tall skeleton continued his enthused rant about everything he will be given if he were to catch a human. Something about being showered in kisses… it all made the human a little less afraid of him. In fact, they felt a little sorry for him. To Sans, it was more of a familiarity that was comforting. With a smile he glanced over to the scandalous lamp. “hmm… maybe this lamp will help.” 

“SANS!” Papyrus shouted, startling Frisk back deep into their hiding spot. “YOU ARE NOT HELPING! YOU LAZY BONES! ALL YOU DO IS BOONDOGGLE!” 

“hey, that’s not true, pap. i did a ton of work today. a skele-ton.” 

Snorting at the horrible pun, Frisk had to clap a hand over their mouth to muffle their laughter. Papyrus wouldn’t have seemed to hear if they had laughed anyways, he was far too busy reprimanding the stocky skeleton. A few more bone related puns were exchanged between the two, followed by interjections or punctuations of exaggerated groans and foot stomping. Eventually, Papyrus ran off to fulfill the rest of his duties, but not without contributing with his own pun. Sans chuckled a bit under his breath then sighed, calling out to the stowaway. “kid?” 

The latter poked their little head out cautiously. “Is he gone?” 

Sans nodded, beckoning with his hand. “yup, coast’s all clear.” 

They released the breath they hadn’t realized they had been holding, and walked back over to him. There was a hesitant smile on their face. Surely it wasn’t their place to pry, but they did feel a little of the same concern Sans’ brother felt for the hooded monster. Sans peered over to them, that same smile present on their face, but the orbs of light wavering in his eye sockets telling a different story. Frisk bit their lip at the unreadable expression. Worried for this stranger or not, they needed to get home. 

“welp,” It was Sans that finally broke the silence. “you better get a move on kid before he comes back. then you’ll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes.” 

A smile broke on the human’s face again, that same gap-toothed one that had used to be a rarity in many timelines before. “Thanks, Sans. I’ll see you around then.” 

Right when they turned their heel to leave, Sans spoke up again. He did well putting up the facade of this comment being an afterthought, when in reality it was simply another rehearsed role in the play. “actually, hey… hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?” 

Frisk peered over curiously. 

“i’ve been thinking and uh… my brother’s been kind of down lately. you see, he’s never even seen a human before, and i think seeing you just might make his day.” 

Their brows scrunched in apprehension. Were they really going to reveal themselves to a human hunter? Sans could see the uncertainty on their face. He didn’t blame them, the situation they were in was weird enough as it was. “don’t worry, he’s not dangerous even if he tries to be.” 

Frisk still wasn’t too sure about it all, but Sans had been pretty nice to them so far. If he said the human hunter wouldn’t nab them, then they should trust him. With that, they nodded and smiled, giving the latter a thumbs up. “No problem, you can count on me!” 

The hardened expression in his eyes softened a bit, and he grinned in appreciation. “thanks a million, kid. i’ll be up ahead.” 

He didn’t move from their spot after this, which puzzled the child even further. However, they decided not to question it, and with a shrug and a wave, they disappeared further into Snowdin Forest. As they left, leaving nothing but their distinct scent, and tiny footprints in the snow, that same cold dread flooded back into Sans’ middle. He could go for another drink right about now despite the cranium splitting headache given from his hangover. After the horrors he had witnessed in those visions, he deserved something to wash out that bad taste in his mouth, and cloud up his mind as much as possible. 

However, he had a job to do. As he stood there considering the indulgence of his craving for alcohol, Papyrus was already bumbling about something deeper in the forest, recalibrating Sans’ puzzles for him simply out of kindness and sympathy. His gesture would touch Sans’, but also bring back that reoccurring guilt for worrying his brother so much. 

It would take a while for the kid to make their way to the established checkpoint, so Sans decided it wouldn’t hurt to take his time. The snowfall today was pleasant, cold flurries felt nice on his skull. The perpetual winter of Snowdin brought with it something of a melancholy tranquility. To Sans it was both a symbol of home and comfort, but also imprisonment. Sans wondered what winter was like on the surface. He hadn’t been able to stay up there long enough to experience the seasons change. Were the flurries as soft as cottoned clouds, the snow a bleached sparkling white like it was down in the Underground? He sure hoped so. But, more than anything, he hoped that one day he’d be able to actually stay up on the Surface for good. 

—

With a little effort, Sans managed to teleport to the rendezvous area with Papyrus, the tall, enthusiastic skeleton coming back from one of his many puzzles. He perked up at the sight of the elder yet shorter brother and marched forward with purpose. “SANS. DO NOT WORRY, I HAVE RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES FOR YOU. GIVEN HOW YOU ARE FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER.”

“thanks, bro.” Sans replied a little tiredly. It wouldn’t be much longer now before the human arrived. Then commence scene after scene of them solving every puzzle Papyrus throws their way, all to his delight. This will be one of the first tests, and Sans already found himself nervous. “you didn’t have to do that.” 

Papyrus went to protest, until the sound of tiny boots marching through the snow captured his attention. Mouth open, he swiveled his head to the direction of the oncoming footsteps, and his eye sockets grew to the size of dinner plates, jaw slack as if threatening to fall off at any moment. Papyrus looked to Sans incredulously, then to the human, then to Sans again. Sans in return exchanged his own look of mock-surprise, then the two found themselves were rolling their heads and bodies around hilariously. Meanwhile Frisk watched on, both humored and perplexed over the fact that they hadn’t been caught yet. 

Eventually the two stopped their silly display, Papyrus leaning over to his brother to whisper furiously to Sans. As he talked, he continued to shoot glances towards the human, as if they might disappear once he looked away for long enough. 

“SANS, OH MY GOD! IS THAT A HUMAN?” 

Sans turned to Frisk, giving them a knowing smile before nodding behind them. “uh, actually i think that’s a rock.” 

The taller skeleton brother looked back again, then immediately deflated at the sight of a large rock that sat precariously behind the human. Even they turned in curiosity, clapping a hand over their mouth to keep from laughing at Sans’ joke. “OH.” 

He had to keep himself from laughing too, that grin straining just a tad. “hey, what’s in front of that rock.” 

Once again, Papyrus glanced over, that bewildered expression returning as his eye sockets landed on Frisk. “OH MY GOD!” He fell back into his incredulous whispering, the excitement almost uncontainable in his voice. “IS… IS THAT A HUMAN?”

“yes.” Sans whispered back. 

“OH MY GOD!” Papyrus released a girlish gasp, his mittened hands clapping over his cheekbones. Finally, he fixed his gaze fully on Frisk, and they gave him a meek wave. “SANS! I FINALLY DID IT! UNDYNE WILL… I WILL BE SO…” He threw his arms out in a flourish. “POPULAR, POPULAR, POPULAR!” Realizing the spectacle he was making of himself, Papyrus cleared his throat, his expression turning serious. “HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL STOP YOU!” 

His enthusiasm was so infectious to Frisk, they couldn’t help but smile as wide as he was. For a supposed human hunter, the skeleton was a lot more… sprightly than they had anticipated. In fact, Papyrus seemed to hold a childish innocence, almost very much like a human’s. In fact, Frisk was so enthused, that they decided to take the whole fiasco in stride. Dramatically, they placed their hands on their hips, puffing out their chest like a prideful bird. They spoke almost out of nowhere, cutting Papyrus off before he could explain his plans for capturing the human. “Ahem, yes. It is I, the Human! And that is too bad, so sad, because I human, can and I will pass through!” For extra dramatic effect, Frisk punched their pink-gloved fist into their other hand, the proceeded to point to Papyrus as if they were their greatest adversary. “And there is nothing you can do to stop me!” 

Completely sold into the idea, Papyrus gasped aloud, his eye sockets the size of saucers. Never had they imagined for their first human to be so bold, so bodacious. It simply fueled the fire within him, the fire of great enthusiasm. 

“SO BOLD! SO BRAVE! YOU ALMOST REMIND ME OF MYSELF! JUST NEARLY NOT AS BOLD OR BRAVE. BUT, IN ANY CASE, CONTINUE… ONLY IF YOU DARE!” And with that, he spun on his heel and began to march off, a loud and prideful “nyeh heh heh!” echoing in his wake. 

As he made his leave, Frisk glanced to the shorter skeleton with a shy smile. They hadn’t meant to get so carried away, but the whole prospect was so exciting! The human felt as if they had just hopped into the comic books they liked to read. Even though they felt like one of the cheesy villains with their dramatic monologuing and low chances of ever betting the heroic protagonist, Frisk didn’t mind playing the part. 

Sans offered them a shrug, becoming a little less surprised at how things were playing out. He winked. “*well, that went well. don’t sweat it kid, i’ll keep an eye socket out for ya.” 

Frisk beamed and waved, and Sans turned to take his leave. He could hear the little kid mumbling to themselves about where to go next as he walked. It was kind of cute. But the skeleton had to keep alert. This had only been the first test out of many. And although the human had passed with no hesitation, his judgement was far from over. With the breeze brought by the winter’s wind, Sans was gone, and when Frisk turned back to ask him for directions, not even his prints were left in the snow. 

—

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s note: HERE IT IS! I had started this story in November, but then school took over and it’s been a slow progress. But I have finally finished part one! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> It’d be highly appreciated to hear what you think about it, and if maybe I should continue with the story. And feedback helps!


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